Ingrown Toe Rx

In an issue of Physician and Sportsmedicine, Richard Glasser, MD, suggested a simple way to head off a major ingrown toenail attack. This method is much safer than the "bathroom surgery" many of us are tempted to undertake for an ingrown toenail:

At the first twinge of discomfort, wash and dry your toe well.

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Unwrap a Band-Aid and put it under the affected toe (as if you were covering a cut on the bottom).

Stick one end firmly to the side of your toe right next to the nail (but not to the nail) where the impending problem is.

Bring the other end up on the other side of the toe and pull it taut, a bit toward your heel, and stick it firmly to your toe. The gentle traction this produces often brings immediate relief, and it may allow the nail to grow normally past the flesh it was beginning to dig in to.

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